Posts Tagged ‘Mars’

Friday, 18 March 2016 from 7:00 – 11:00 PM
Public Star Night at the Little Thompson Observatory
850 Spartan Ave at Berthoud High School
park east of the high school; directions are posted on the website www.starkids.org
The speaker will be Brian Enke from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder and the title of his talk will be “Where will NASA build its first research facility on Mars?”
Since 2006, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the
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Courtesy of EarthSky
A Clear Voice for Science
Visit EarthSky at
www.EarthSky.org
Only Venus easily visible
We show the moon and planets for about 30 minutes before sunrise tomorrow (Saturday, April 30) as seen from North American mid-northern latitudes. At mid-northern latitudes all around the world, the only two worlds that you are likely to see before sunrise tomorrow are the moon and blazing planet Venus. Look for them low in the east some 60 to 30 minutes before sunup. Binoculars might
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Courtesy of EarthSky
A Clear Voice for Science
Visit EarthSky at
www.EarthSky.org
Given clear skies tonight, everyone around the world will see the waxing gibbous moon close to the solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter.
After the moon, Jupiter is easily the brightest celestial object in the November 2010 evening sky. But – generally speaking – Jupiter ranks as the fourth brightest celestial object in all the sky, after the sun, moon and planet Venus, respectively. Venus won’t rise into
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Courtesy of EarthSky
A Clear Voice for Science
www.EarthSky.org
The first few evenings of September 2010 present a celestial trio – the planets Venus and Mars, and the star Spica fitting within a circle that is smaller than 5 degrees in diameter. Because a typical binocular field spans about 5 degrees of sky, there is a good chance of seeing all three luminaries squeezing up together inside a single binocular field.
All three should be bright enough to see with the unaided eye, if your sky
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Courtesy of EarthSky
A Clear Voice for Science
www.EarthSky.org
In a few more days, Venus and Mars will team up with the star Spica to stage this year’s closest celestial trio – three heavenly bodies fitting within a circle smaller than 5 degrees in diameter. A typical binocular field covers about 5 degrees of sky, and you might catch all three snuggling within a single binocular field this early evening.
As seen from North America, the threesome cozies up even more closely on Sunday
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Courtesy of EarthSky
A Clear Voice for Science
www.EarthSky.org
The very noticeable constellation Orion the Hunter can be seen ascending in the southeast before dawn at this time of year. Orion will be visible in the evening by winter, but right now the Hunter lords over the southeastern sky at dawn’s first light.
Orion was low in the west after sunset last spring, and, in early summer, this constellation was behind the sun as seen from Earth. Orion only returned to visibility in Earth’s
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A Clear Voice for Science
www.EarthSky.org
How soon can you spot Venus above the western horizon as the sun sets? From the northern hemisphere, the ecliptic – the line in the sky that marks the path of the sun, as well as its attendant planets – makes a shallow angle with the horizon. The slant of the ecliptic is more perpendicular to the horizon in the southern hemisphere, making Venus stand tall during twilight.
Shining at magnitude -4.4, Venus easily pierces the
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Courtesy of EarthSky
A Clear Voice for Science
www.EarthSky.org
In the west after sunset tonight, you will find Spica and the waxing crescent moon. The planets to the right of the moon are Mars, Venus and Saturn. Of those planets, Venus will be easiest to see because it is so bright. You might need binoculars for Mars and Saturn.
Spica is known as a blue-white star. Can you detect its color in contrast to nearby stars? If not, try looking at Spica with binoculars.
Spica isn’t just one
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Courtesy of EarthSky
A Clear Voice for Science
www.EarthSky.org
Around August 7 and 8, look in the west after sunset for the planets Venus, Mars and Saturn as they form what is known as a planetary trio.
Around August 7 and 8, look in the west after sunset for the planets Venus, Mars and Saturn as they form what is known as a planetary trio. A planetary trio is a grouping of three planets that fits inside a circle that is only 5 degrees wide. Typically, a binocular field spans about 5 degrees,
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Courtesy of EarthSky
A Clear Voice for Science
www.EarthSky.org
The planets Saturn, Mars and Venus are still in the west after sunset, to the delight of stargazers across the globe. In addition, the planet Mercury –our solar system’s innermost world – teams up with Regulus around now in the same part of the sky. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. Tonight, Mercury and Regulus form the year’s closest pairing of a planet with a first-magnitude star. Look for
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